Askan wasn't so pissy anymore. Aside from the ever present annoyance outside his borders, things had settled in Shallows Edge. The Edge Lord would never admit it, but Kieron-as he learned soon after she'd joined the ranks- was just what the pack needed. Not only was she fresh blood, a new face in the crowd, but even a fool would see that she held promise, that her keen analytical eye and past experience made her an asset. One Askan had no interest in letting go to waste.The Selwyn had little interest in smothering his newest recruit. After showing her the caches, borders and communal areas he'd more or less left her to her own devices. She was a capable woman, hardly the sort who needed to be guided along every step of the way.

The sun was setting, dipping beneath the horizon as the rain continued to fall, sporadically, on and off as though the sky couldn't make up it's mind. Askan prowled along the lake shore, leaving muddy paw prints in his wake. The Shallows would always hold a special place in his heart, it was easier to think here though, he wasn't quite sure why. Upon reaching the eastern shore of the Shallows Askan climbed atop his rocky throne and settled, his tail curving around his side as he tipped his head back and called for the newest member of his rag-tag family.

Askan's tail tapped against his rocky throne as he gritted his teeth, more than a little impatient. Luckily, he wasn't left waiting long. He cracked his mouth open in a wide yawn as Kieron's grey scale form lopped into view, her footing just as graceful and practiced as it had been all those weeks ago. In response to her cordial greeting Askan merely shrugged. It was fine, he supposed. It wasn't raining too heavy, if anything it just set the mood, dark and and moody- just as Askan liked it (he means you, @Reyes).

From his perch he looked down at her and pursed his lips in thought. He'd never been the sort who enjoyed lording over others so with a huff he hopped down from his pedestal and joined her on solid ground.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, his tail flicking to gesture to the area surrounding them, the shallows and the forest that had kept it hidden for so long.

Needless to say he knew that Kieron had adjusted and adapted to life at the Shallows. If anything, Askan was impressed with how quickly she had started tending to her duties, marking the borders and refilling the caches as though she'd been here since the pack's founding. She'd taken no time to adjust or get used to their way of life she simply got shit done. Askan liked that, it reaffirmed in his mind that she'd fit in just fine around here, that @Sachiel and @Hawthorne wouldn't have to give her stink eye for being a lazy bastard.

Decent. Askan arched a brow at that. By no mean did the word carry awful connotations, but Kieron wasn't singing the Shallows praises either. It was an odd middle ground, the sort of halfhearted response Askan would've uttered if the roles were somehow reversed, if Kieron was the leader and Askan her subordinate.

"I think the Shallows have enough water as it is." He cast an amused look towards the lake, he hadn't yet seen anyone try to take a dip in it. Meaning that he'd been the only one to fall for it's clever facade. Perhaps that would change in the summer, when it was blistering hot and the shimmering blue depths looked all the more inviting...

Kieron looked to her once more and posed a question. Once again she was taking the incentive, had he been the praisey type he would have no doubt applauded her for that, instead he merely nodded, just as curt and to the point as always.

"I do. I want you to scout north for me, in the Kingswood, around the east side of the lake." He flicked his tail, as though to say so on and so forth. It was all pretty self explanatory. "We rarely ever head that far north, I can't help but wonder if the coyotes have taken over those woods since Hearthwood River is no more." After all, the coyote forces had to be based out of somewhere. He couldn't help but wonder if their   He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he carefully considered his next words. "I want you to be subtle, find out what you can and return to me. Think you can manage that?"

His gaze was as warm as ever, but it also held a hint of curiosity. She mentioned having skills before, would she be willing to put them to use in this instance?

Askan very much appreciated Kieron's work ethic. He'd never really been all that taken with the idea of ordering others about, of forcing other's to bend to his will, but he had to admit it was refreshing to know that when he did issue commands that they would be followed. Not only that though, but rather than rushing off to see the deed done the woman actually thought on it, she tipped her head to the side in a manner most telling. Kieron was both a thinker and a doer, a rare sort of wolf in this day and age.

Her questions were of the interesting sort. Askan pursed his lips as he dissected them in his mind, slice by slice till he knew what to say.

"We're not an overly secretive pack. The locals know of us, know that we're not the most...social. If there are wolves up there-" though he didn't see any reason why there would be- "I want to know what they're doing, who they are, so on so forth." He flicked his tail in a etcetera motion. "I'm mostly interested in the coyotes though. I'd rather you didn't get mauled, so do your best to avoid it. When you return, report to me or Reyes, we're usually on the same page. Whoever you find first is fine."

He trusted she could manage this task, she seemed light on her feet and quick of mind.

"Oh, and when you get back we'll see to you giving you an official title." He wondered what she would make of that.

"I trust your judgement." He told her after a moment of consideration, he wasn't exactly answering her question but he figured she'd be able to work out what he meant. Askan wasn't one for spelling out the obvious. "Take as long as you see fit, wander off the beaten track if you must."

He'd given her a rough estimate of where he wanted her to scout out, but if she found something of interest north of the lake, rather than east he wasn't going to be awfully offended. Perhaps that's what he wanted, a sense of validation, of knowing that he wasn't a paranoid prick. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. The Edge wolves very rarely wandered north these days, for all Askan knew  the Kingswoods or even the lake could be the eye of the coyote storm, the source of all their problems. It was about damn time someone proved him right or wrong.

Though, in all honesty, he wasn't sure what he'd prefer. He'd think about it some more later.

Kieron took a step to the side, as though to leave, whilst Askan remained firmly where he stood, his toes digging into the soggy dirt like the swallow roots of a beech tree. If she wanted to leave now he wouldn't stop her.

"That's all."